Subalpur village, West Bengal, where a woman was gang-raped by 13 men as ‘punishment’. [REUTERS]

.The 20-year-old was said to have brought shame on her community and when her family could not pay a fine she was sexually attacked on the orders of village elders.Her boyfriend was tied up in the town square and unable to come to her aid as she was bundled into a mud hut.There, she was assaulted by around a dozen men and is now in a serious condition in hospital after losing a lot of blood in the incident in rural India.She told local reporters: “Themorol (head of the court) ordered that I be enjoyed by the men of the village. Following his orders, at least 10-12 people, including (some) members of a single family, continuously raped me. I lost count of how many times I was raped.”The case has caused global outrage and comes despite the country trying to tighten its laws on sex crimes following the fatal gang rape of a woman on a Delhi bus in 2012.In the latest case the woman from the Adivasi ethnic group had been in a relationship with a Muslim man in Subalpur village, West Bengal.

When their illicit affair was discovered, an illegal village council known as a ‘khap panchayat’ was convened.

These kangaroo courts often act to settle rural disputes ranging from land and cattle issues to matrimony and murder.

But such councils are coming under growing scrutiny as their punitive edicts grow more regressive – ranging from banning women from wearing western clothing and using mobile phones to supporting child marriage and sanctioning the lynching of young couples in so-called “honour killings”.

In the latest case, the unnamed woman’s family was ordered to pay 25,000 rupees (£240).

But they said they were too poor, the court decreed the young lady should be raped by local men, all of whom have now been arrested.

The 13 accused have appeared in court following the January 20th attack and have been remanded in custody.

“The West Bengal police must thoroughly investigate this alleged gang rape, and bring to justice those responsible. The authorities must also ensure that the woman and her family receive immediate and adequate police protection.

“Any person found guilty of inciting violence against the woman must be held accountable.

“The authorities must ensure that women’s rights to choose their partners are respected and protected, and take steps to end discrimination and violence against women.”

India’s Supreme Court has in the past issued opinions condemning the councils as illegal bodies.

Several legal organisations are now pushing Parliament to pass a comprehensive law that would make edicts by local councils illegal.

Annie Raja, general secretary of the National Federation of Indian Women, added that such local councils destroy women’s rights.

“They are dead set against giving basic human rights to women,” she said. “These are non-constitutional bodies and the West Bengal government should take stringent action against them.”

Subalpur village is in the Birbhum district, around 110 miles from the West Bengal state capital Kolkata, formerly Calcutta.

Four years ago in the same district a khap panchayat ordered a young woman to parade naked around the village after she was accused of falling in love with a man from a different caste.

In October, a teenager was gang-raped on two consecutive days in a Kolkata suburb. She was later set on fire when she refused to withdraw a police complaint against the men who had raped her. She died in a hospital last month leading to widespread protests in the city.

Earlier this month, a 51-year-old Danish tourist was gang-raped in New Delhi by five men when she stopped to ask them for directions to her hotel.